What is Bee Propolis?

What is Bee Propolis?
A lot of people asked about where is propolis name came from? Propolis is scientific name given by a chemist who found this chemical compound from bees. Propolis is resinous substance bees collect from tree buds. Bee propolis contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which are thought to be the active ingredients.

Propolis is available many forms, including tablet, capsule, ointment, powder, extract, cream, lotion and other cosmetics. It's available as a nutritional supplement in health food stores and online. It is also found in small quantities in honey.

Why Do People Use Bee Propolis?

Propolis has a long history of use as a natural remedy for wound infection and other illnesses. Preliminary studies suggest it may be active against bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms when applied topically. Propolis is natural and been used from a long time ago by ancient people also. The used of bee propolis been grown widely when it been research by a lot of chemist around the world.

Side Effects

Propolis shouldn't be applied to the eye area since the composition in bee propolis not suitable for our eyes and can cause some allergies.

Bee Propolis Guide - Introduction

Bee Propolis Guide - Introduction

Bee propolis can be introduce as bee's own medicine. It is a mixture of various resins collected by the honeybees from plants particularly from flowers, leaf buds and the bark of trees.Carried on their back legs, bees use propolis as some sort of natural cement to strengthen and seal cracks in their hives.The question is, why do the bees use propolis when there are many other natural glue available in nature? This is where it gets interesting.

Bees is living together in their congested home and just like some crowded persons living at some small home. They grow faster than us then the quantity is increase rapidly.

If you're living in such a tight space, you know that you need a strong structure to hold the busy units, and more importantly, you also need an effective way to keep the whole apartment clean and free of bacteria. Just one "unclean" occupant can bring massive outbreak in the whole kingdom.

In short, these bees must find a way to avoid bacterial and viral infection from spreading in their congested home. Without some kind of antibiotics protection, the whole colony could be dead.

Bee Propolis Guide

Propolis is a resinous mixture that bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6.35 millimeters (0.3 in) or less), while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. Its color varies depending on its botanical source, the most common being dark brown. Propolis is sticky at and above room temperature. At lower temperatures it becomes hard and very brittle.

For centuries, beekeepers assumed ^[1]that bees sealed the beehive with propolis to protect the colony from the elements, such as rain and cold winter drafts. However, 20th century research has revealed that bees not only survive, but also thrive, with increased ventilation during the winter months throughout most temperate regions of the world.Propolis is now believed to:

1. reinforce the structural stability of the hive
2. reduce vibration
3. make the hive more defensible by sealing alternate entrances
4. prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive
5. prevent putrefaction within the hive. Bees usually carry waste out of and away from the hive. However if a small lizard or mouse, for example, found its way into the hive and died there, bees could be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless.